The Ukulele Review

Romero Creations

September 15, 2017

We first introduced the Tiny Tenor collaboration with Pepe Romero Jr. and Daniel Ho at a review HERE. They decided to start an import line made in Vietnam and they have become one of the best mid priced values in the ukulele market. We’ll feature some of the models here but you can see current inventory at our web store here – Romero Creations.

Mahogany Tiny Tenor

Most of us ukulele players are open minded. We don’t mind things being “out of the box”. That’s exactly where Pepe Romero and Daniel Ho went to design this new instrument called a Tiny Tenor. It travels like a concert, feels like a tenor, and has an absolutely gorgeous tone.

This is the “affordable” version made of Pepe’s custom work. However, these guys didn’t cut corners. The workmanship is very well done and the materials are top notch making for a great value.

The most standout feature of this instrument is it’s sound.We recently went and visited Pepe and upstairs from his work shop in the Romero family house we recorded Daniel Ho. He gives us a beautiful sound sample of this mahogany Tiny Tenor.

The Mahogany line also comes in a Grand Tenor and the amazing Ron Artis plays a new original on his in our hotel room at NAMM 2017.

Spalted Mango Tiny Tenor

This is a rare instrument grade spalted mango is amazing and we buy all of these models from Pepe whenever he can get them. Like I said, the wood is rare. Kris Fuchigami was visiting and gave us a sound sample. As you can hear, they sound at least as good as they look.

This sound sample has Aquila all plain high G strings but they now come with Pepe’s fluorocarbon strings. To learn more about Pepe’s strings we have them at our web store HERE.

Spruce top Spalted Mango Grand Tenor

Pepe Romero’s Grand Tenor design has been a real hit among some great players here on the island. It has a deep body, a wider nut spacing (1.5″) and a robust tone you’ll love! The spruce top adds volume and clarity that many players prefer.

This model comes in occasionally in small limited run batches because of the lack of high quality spalted mango. But when they’re in it’s a treat. They all have this coloring and unique black spalt lines like nature’s doodling abstract art. Quite psychedelic and they sound great too. I especially like the spruce tops like this one.

Kris gives another sound sample. Such a fantastic player! Check out his page at our Artist pages.

Solid Top XS

This was a concept of Pepe’s as a mini version of the Tiny Tenor. The XS Soprano is a soprano scale but built to the length of a mini soprano uke. A extra small soprano and a great “take anywhere” instrument. These can fit into most backpacks! From the regular all solid RC lineup Daniel Ho shows the XS in mahogany below.

Solid Top TT

Coming in well under $300, this new model Tiny Tenor package from RC hits a new price point for a fantastic value. If you were looking for a quality, travel friendly tenor, at an affordable price, then this is an excellent choice.

Part of buying an instrument in this price range from us is that we put a lot of time into our QC and final setup work. What you end up with is an instrument that feels awesome right off the bat. Through us, I know you can get a fantastic instrument without breaking the bank. This new line from Romero Creations is a great example of that.

Solid Top GT

This is the entry level Grand Tenor from the RC line. As you can hear, it has a warm punchy tone with great volume. The solid spruce top has been the choice of luthiers and musicians for hundreds of years and there is no question in the integrity and acoustic quality of fine quarter sawn spruce like these new Romero’s have.

The Grand tenor is loved by those with large hands, or those that feel cramped on a regular ukulele fretboard. It also has a slightly larger and deeper body than most tenors and it gives that thick tone many love.

Another recording from NAMM 17. Pepe Sr. playing a Pepe Jr. guitar and Daniel on the Koa Tiny Tenor. Check out more videos with Daniel at our artist category.

Comments 8

I have owned a Mahogany Grand Tenor for just over a year now. Wonderful tone and beautifully simple instrument. I love the low G tuning and being almost in the same register as a small guitar. I can play along with friends who have guitars or sub the Grand Tenor in for a guitar at a gig. For the price especially Romero Creations is a wonderful company.

I just bought one of the “affordable” Romero Creations / Daniel Ho Tiny Tenors (Solid Sitka Spruce top, laminate mahogany sides and back), and I’m very happy with it. As several people have observed with Romero Creation ukes, the intonation is spot-on along the length of the fingerboard, and sustain in amazing. The thing sounds great–very bright, clear, and loud. The thing sounds amazing with Pepe Romero wound low-g, btw—huge sustain with a great full bass note. I think this spruce-top really benefits from low-g to balance out the brightness. Always sounded good, but with low-g it’s something quite special. And if you’re a fingerpicker, there’s no question…

When played, the thing feels alive. It pulses, vibrates, and feels like it’s living–much more so than any other uke I’ve played. The large single bout construction produces the purest notes I’ve heard on a ukulele, with none of the odd harmonic overtones that are sometimes generated by the typical uke shape. This, along with the slightly increased string spacing makes it great for finger picking as well as strumming. Also, the wide-bout body makes it really comfortable to hold and play, and allows for a much more comfortable and natural hand/arm position than most concert scale instruments offer.

Came with a nice Romero Creations-branded nylon/polyfoam case that is perfectly fitted to the instrument’s paddle shape, and offers a lot of protection. Will also fit in most standard concert size gig bags (but not hard cases). Overall, I’m very impressed with the quality and sound of this instrument, especially at this price point (~$259 case included). When you consider that you would pay ~$80 – $100 for a decent hard case, it become apparent that you can get a nice Romero Creations Tiny Tenor for basically the same cost as a cheaper uke plus an add-on hard case. Pretty amazing deal, imo!

I have a mahogany Grand Tenor and am constantly amazed at the rich sweet sounds that come from it. A definite step up from your typical factory uke. It is my go to instrument when I want that extra “low G” bottom.

I am new to the ukulele world and have been playing only a few months. After picking up my teachers ukulele I realized that my ukulele was holding me back. The neck shape and width were wrong for my hand size. Not knowing if that was all it was or if I had a serious lack of talent, I set out to find a ukulele that fit my hand, had a sound I liked and was affordable. I didn’t want to invest a lot incase the lack of talent thing was real. I found Romero Creations on The Ukulele Site and loved the sound they produced. After talking to Andrew I thought the neck would be an improvement over what I was playing. After Joel did the set up and I received my uke I was more than happy. The Tiny Tenor is an awesome uke for the money. My playing has improved at a steady pace and I know I will stay with it now. Someday the Grand Tenor will be the target!!